Arctic Bear Mother Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Instance
Researchers tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this fall: a female bear taking in a cub that was not genetically her own.
The half-decade-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area known for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," remarked a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."
It's only the 13th known case of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears studied for almost fifty years in that region.
The female bear was initially tagged as she came out from her maternity den this springtime. At the time, she had one cub, which researchers marked for research.
In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and another without a tag. Researchers are uncertain what became of the second cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using genetic samples.
"These animals need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up an additional youngster and care for it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the bears."
Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into maturity, but having a mother caring for them boosts their chances.
The cubs appear to be healthy, according to experts, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Next, the family is expected to venture out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother how to catch prey and survive on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the bears are looking out for each other," concluded the researcher.
